Hold-up alarm



Aug. '16. 1927. 1,639,578

' I S. STEINHARDT v HOLDUP ALARM Filed July 5; i926 INVENTOR WITNESSES 1Sigmund gtemiw dfi ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES SIG-MUND STEINI-IARD'I, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HOLD-UP ALARM.

Application filed July 3, 1926. Serial No. 120,396.

offices, or other places of business where cash,

orvaluables are being handled. D

An object of the present invention 1s to provide an alarm mechanism withWlllCll a merchant or business man when heldup, may signal for helpwithout attracting the bandit.

More specifically an b ect of the inven-v tion is to provide an alarmcircult controlling mechanism in the nature of a depressible foot railwhichm'ay extend the entire length of a counter, so that when atradesman is held up, he mayplace his foot at any point on the rail, andclose an alarm circuit. i I

A further object of the invention 1s' to provide foot-operated circuitcontrolling means, which will be silent in operation, which will besimple and practical n construction, rugged, durable and efficient inuse, comparatively inexpens ve to manufacture, capable of readyinstallation in a small amount of space, and of neat and attractive 30appearance.

With the above noted and other ob ects in view, the invention consistsin certain novel features of construction and combmations andarrangements of parts, as w ll be more fully hereinafter set forth andpointed out in the claims. The invention maybe more fully understoodfrom the following description in connection Wlllh' the accompanyingdrawings, where1n Fig. 1 is a wiring diagram of the alarm circuits, thefoot rail circuit closer being illustrated somewhat schematically.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinalsectional detail through the footvrail and ltS associated parts, taken on the staggered line 22 of Fig. 3.n

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional detall on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the audible signal and the switch for thevisible signal circuit, showing the switch retained 1n 1n- Cit operativeposition, the dotted lines indicating the closed position of the switch.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the 55 footrail mechanism with theswitch bar removed.

attention and without the knowledge of the t i r groove 11 in its upperseries of contacts in PATENT OFFI cEjf It is to be understood at theoutsetthat the particular use to which the foot operated circuit closingmechanism of the present invention is applied, ofvarlatlons, and

is subject to a wide range that the point at which the rail is installedis also immaterial to the present invention.

The foot rail itself is adapted to be secured many appropriate orinstance behind a counter 111 includes an elongated bar othernon-conducting material tion of a lead wire 12.

of along the groove 11 and site sides of the groove the nature woodscrews 15.

these screws. 7

The other side of the circuit manner to the floor, as

a store, and of wood or having a' surface for the recep- This lead wiremay be connected through a battery 13 to one-side a circuit interrupter14. At intervals alternately on oppothere are provided a of ordinary Thelead wire 12'is passed "out: of the groove and under the heads ofinterrupter 14 is connected througha lead wire 15 to a cover plate 16'of conducting material, formed with longitudinal flanges 17 straddlingthe barj10. The cover mally spaced above the bar and plate is nortactwith the screws 15 by a series of bowed plate springs 18, the ends ofwhich rest on the rails 10, and the intermediate portions of whichsupport the bar 16.

Longitudinal shifting movement of these springs is, restrlcted by stoppins 19 projecting from the upper surface of the rail 10.

Relative longitudinal movement of the cover plate 16 vented by the useof screws through the flanges of the cove the sides of the bar. openings21 in the flanges which cient depth to permit depression plate 16 tomove it one of the contacts 15.

The cover plate 16 serves in switch bar. It is made of thin or of someother material sutli gauged to permit local flexing 0 bar. Thus when anoperator on the switch bar 16 at any p0 and rail or bar 10 is prepassedr plate into These screws work in are of suiiiof the cover into en aement with effect as a brass stock,

ciently thin I f the switch places his foot int, the bar will be locallydepressed to engage one of the contacts 15. and close a circuit throughthe interrupter 14.

While I have shown a circuit it will be apparent that various of audibleor visible signal that the visible signals may might be directlycontrolled and substituted. for the circuit interrupter.

I find that the use of the circuit interrupter is particularly desirablehowever, in that such interrupter may beused as a mechanical detent forthe spring pressed switch of a visible signal circuit. This circuit hasbeen indicated at 25, and the visible signals at 26. In the circuit 25,is a knife switch 27 normally acted upon by a spring 28 to close thecircuit. The handle of the knife switch carries an offset arm 29 havingan opening 30 therein, through which the hooked end 31 of the circuitinterrupter armature 32 maybe inserted. Armature 32 thus serves as amechanical detent to retain the knife switch 27 outofoperative position.When the'armature is attracted by its magnet 33 l1owever,the handle ofthe switch 27 will be released closed,

Itwillbe apparent that the audible signal 14; may be located remotefromthe circuit closing foot rail, and be located either on a central. panelboard, at the police station, outside of a store, or wherever desirable.

Various changes and alterations might be made in the general form andarrangement of parts described without departing from the invention.Hence I do not wish to limit myself, to the details set forth, but shallconsider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations asfairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. I la m:

and the signal circuit 25 willbe' at any desirable location 1. Footoperated circuit closing mechanism for a holdup alarm lncluding anelongated substantially rigid base bar of non- 1 conducting materialadapted to be placed uponthedioor', series of springs supportingaflexible conductive switch bar in spaced relationship to the base bar, aplurality of contacts connected to a common lead wire and arranged atspaced points along the base bar, whereby a circuit may be closed whenthe switch is locally depressed to compress adjacent springs and'engageany one oi said contacts said base bar being grooved to receive the leadwire, the contacts comprising studs arranged alternately on oppositesidcs of the groove and in electrical communication with the lead wire.

2. Foot operated circuit closing mechanism for'a holdup alarm includingan elongated substantiallyrigid base bar of nonconducting materialadapted to be placed upon the floor, a series of springs support;- ing aflexible conductive switchhar i spaced relationship to the base bar, aplurality of contacts connected to a commonlead wire and arranged atspaced points along the base bar, whereby a circuit may be closed whenthe switch is locally depressed to compress adjacent springs'and engageany one or said contacts, said springs comprising bowed plate-likeelements having their ends resting on the base bar and theirintermediate portions supporting the switch bar, and pins in the basebar'engageable with the ends of the springs to limit longitudinaldisplacement thereof.

" SIGMUND STEINHARDT.

